How Canadian Immigration Looks like in 2023

Tejaswini Panigrahi
[Published 03 Jan, 2022 | 03:41 PM]
About Author - 6 min read
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The whole world has welcomed 2023 with lots of hope and good wishes and so has the Canadian Immigration target for the new year. Due to the pandemic hit conditions, Canada has a huge backlog of invitations from the year 2021 which has ultimately created a new level of vacancy for the in-demand occupations. 

So, with a higher immigration target and more skilled workers in demand, Canada’s 2022 immigration route looks more promising than ever.

Read on to find out all about the new immigration landscape in 2022.

New record-breaking immigration target in 2022

Canada, despite its huge backlog of invitations in 2021, has set to achieve a new record of inviting 411,000 immigration applicants under various programs. It might even increase the numbers to meet the country’s labor market demands, according to the new immigration minister, Sean Fraser.

Would there be any Express Entry (FSWP) draws in 2022?

As the last FSWP draw was held on December 2020, 2021 was a frustrating year for the FSWP candidates as Canada focused mainly on the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) categories of the Express Entry streams. It was mostly due to the pandemic hit travel restriction delays, that Canada focused on nominating the candidates already present in the country to fast-track the PR processes for them and Before the pandemic, the Express Entry pattern was different as the draws used to take place once every two weeks, and candidates from all Express Entry programs were considered in each draw. But in 2021, the Express Entry draws were focused solely on the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

The former immigration governing body, IRCC had indicated that it'll only resume all-program Express Entry draws as soon as the backlog has been reduced — even though they haven’t stated how long this may take or how a good deal of the backlog they need to get through.

Will the CRS score go down in 2023?

Among the various immigration-related events that took place in 2021, the immigration governing body took many crucial steps to meet the target for the year and one among them was dropping the CRS cut-off to 75 for certain Express Entry candidates and implementing a temporary permanent residence program for applicants in the country.  And it is estimated that the Canadian Government might further reduce the CRS score in 2022 to meet the immigration target of this year.

How will the new NOC structure affect the immigration system in 2023?

NOC codes are important from the immigration point of view as it is required to identify the work experience and skills of the candidates by matching them with the NOC code that fits with their occupation.

So, one of the biggest changes in the immigration process of 2023 is the new National Occupational Classification (NOC).

As of now, the immigration system uses the NOC 2016 version that divides the NOC codes into 4 main skill levels: A, B, C, or D. Express Entry accepts the candidates falling into the NOC codes A and B.

But the new NOC structure 2021 will be containing 6 main “TEER” categories – Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities. Although it has been released in 2021, it won’t be implemented until the second half of 2022.

The skill level B counted for the majority of the Express Entry jobs but now it can’t be said particularly about the effects that the new NOC structure would have on the skill level B categories. It might happen that some of the candidates who were eligible in 2021 wouldn’t be eligible in 2022 anymore. 

What are the new application portals for Canadian immigration applicants in 2023?

The previous immigration governing body of Canada, IRCC had introduced two new online application submission portals for the candidates and they are crucial for the candidates looking to immigrate to Canada in 2023.

The first portal is open for the applicants who want to apply for temporary visas or visit visas.IRCC announced that those who submitted an application for a TRV before September 7, 2021, may need to resubmit their application in order for it to be processed. IRCC had instructed the candidates to re-submit their application through the new IRCC portal.

The second portal was the Permanent Resident Portal, which has changed the mailing of paper-based applications system for the PR candidates. This has made it easier for the candidates migrating in 2023 to submit their applications through online mode, under the following categories:

• Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) — non-Express Entry only
  
• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP)
• Agri-Food Immigration Pilot
• Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIP)
• Start-Up Visa
• Self-Employed People (Federal and Quebec)
• Quebec-selected skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and investors
• Spouse or common-law partner sponsorship
• Child sponsorship
• Parent & Grandparent sponsorship
• Home Support Worker & Home Child Care Provider Pilots
• Adopting a child through the immigration process
• Protected persons and convention refugees in Canada
• Humanitarian and compassionate grounds
• Temporary resident permit holders applying for permanent residence

Are you planning to apply for the Canadian Express Entry program in 2022? Worry not as Nationwide Visas are here to assist you throughout the entire procedure.

Contact us for more information.